Reviews

A bunch of us went to try the food and use my Entertainment Book coupon. We had a good meal. We started with the calamari and saganaki appetizers accompanied by a basket of hot buttery pita bread. The calamari were prefect and tender, and the saganaki was about average.

Moving on to the entrees, two of us had the roast lamb, which featured a gigantic portion of tender roasted meat, as well as the usual sides (Greek salad, 1/2 roast potato, rice pilaf), two more of our group had souvlaki, which was well-prepared, and had the same sides as the lamb. One contrarian among us had the shrimp fettucini, which had tiny shrimp in a vast bowl of unremarkable pasta. All of the entrees were HUGE, and only I was hungry enough to finish.

The servers were friendly and efficient, and the ambience was a bit nicer than most Greek places, but not luxurious, either.

My one complaint was that the soft drinks which were in small glasses to begin with, were NOT bottomless. We got hit for $2.25 for each tiny serving. What a rip off! I should have had beer, and I expect that was their point... That cost them a star overall.

Other than that one complaint we had a mostly satisfying feed. I agree with the previous reviewer: Try the calamari and the lamb. But I would avoid the seafood.

In my opinion you would have to leave Coquitlam to get better Greek food.

Normally when I have an experience as bad as I did at Pasta Polo, I won't bother to write a review, but I feel compelled to speak out given the obviously phony review which precedes this one.

I went to this place with some friends a while back, and it was a terrible experience! The place was packed full, and we waited 1/2 hour for a table. Finally we got one, and ordered our pasta. Our food arrived a little at a time over the next hour resulting in some of my party having finished their meals before others even got their appetizers. At least they could have brought some bread or something! Worse still, one of the entrees was burnt (not a good thing for pasta).

I complained to the manager, and he blew me off with a rude comment I won't type here. To add insult to injury, they overcharged us for items we didn't order. I guess if they know you you get better treatment, but they won't have the opportunity to see me again.

'Oishii' roughly translated means yummy. That is a good description of the food at this unassuming sushi joint. I tried some of the roll sushi, and also some of the nigiri sushi choices. The fish was top quality and fresh, and the sushi was very good. Not overly ricey (is that a word?) and just bite-sized. They always seem to have some unusual fish on special. Once they had tuna imported from Japan. Last time I went they had salmon belly which I admit was only mildly exotic ;)

The sushi chef and the hostess have an encyclopedic knowledge of sushi and the food is a lot nicer than you would expect, given the rather cheapo décor. I think the tables are salvaged from the Hawaiian Village restaurant. A good place to eat sushi, with a chef who punches above his weight. Try the caterpillar roll.

A trip to Vic today gave me the opportunity to eat at this Victoria landmark, a place that once fed me during bleak years at UVic.

I wouldn't call the place fancy, but Bob Hope ate there once so that has to count for something. Okay, so it means it is really old.

I had a turkey burger, which was an interesting hybrid between a hot turkey sandwich and a burger. A pretty decent spinach salad accompanied the meal. My wife had the filet of sole, which was also decently prepared, although the mixed veggies on her plate looked a bit dodgy. Her side of onion rings were crisp and not greasy though.

The service was attentive, and the place has been renovated since I last ate there. It has a good casual ambience.

Since I was heading to Trout Lake for a little capering, I decided to take my spouse to Libby's for a tasty panini. I've seen the restaurant on my way to other places and it always seemed full of happy diners.

I had the tuna cheese panini with the garlic potato soup, and Mrs. Chasiubow had the baked croissant with ham, cheese and scrambled egg. Everything was well made, and the soup was really outstanding. They have a diverse array of coffees and teas, but we had ‘regular’ coffee and orange pekoe tea. The coffee was better than average, and the tea was about what you would expect. The prices are a little more than on the Drive, but still reasonable.

The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the place was clean and comfortable. We sat on the patio, which was quiet and not too breezy. The restaurant is a nice place, and lots of the locals seem to eat there. Plus it is close to the park. Recommended!

My wife and I were looking for something new, so we gave the place a try. There was a big line of people waiting outside and a full house inside, and they all happened to be Filipinos, so we figured this must be the real deal.

After a short wait we were inside. We were not disappointed. We had the calamares appetizer, which had big tender pieces of squid in a light batter, then we moved on to the pork binagoonan (pork in shrimp paste sauce) accompanied by pancit miki bihon (2 kinds of noodle with vegetable). Wow it was all great! Apparently, Philippine cuisine is not spicy but usually sweet, which Mrs. Chasiubow claims is the reason for the friendliness of most Filipinos.

I don’t know about that, but the staff was incredibly friendly and they made good eye contact, which is something my tribe could work on. We also found the restaurant to be extremely clean, and very new-looking. The food arrived quickly, and the presentation was very good. I did think $2.50 for the canned coconut water was a bit much (it is 3 for 1.99 at the market across the street), and I was extremely sorry that they ran out of corn pudding, but overall we had a very positive experience. This is as good as I have had anywhere. Highly recommended!

The sushi is made for giants or people with huge mouths. I tried 'B' party tray, which had a nice selection of sushi, and I also foolishly ordered a beef teriyaki roll, because I hadn't yet seen how gigantic the party tray was. The taste was okay, but the size was WAY too big. Sushi is about style as much as substance and these mammoth sushi pieces were ridiculously crass. As Mrs. Chasiubow said: "Ma dai go hou"! (Open wide!).

I will say that it was fresh, due to the chaotic pace in the restaurant. A few brave souls actually tried to sit at the tiny tables or the mini sushi bar, but I went for the take out. It is incredible value for the money, if you judge such things by quantity for the price.

A good choice if you are VERY hungry, or if you have teens at home. Otherwise, you should go someplace less extreme.

I finally decided to give this place a try since it has been reviewed on this site so often. It was an interesting experience.

The restaurant is really run down and dirty, and nothing matches. Also the mustard-colour paint is kind of ugly. I'm not sure if this ambience is intentional or not. Must be a 'theme’, like the white trash diner experience. Something like that.

I had the jumbo burger plate and Mrs. Chasiubow bravely ordered the 1/4 BBQ chicken. The burger was really huge, if a little overcooked, and the patties were actually made of hamburger, not the usual puck patty. The bun was toasted and there were the expected toppings on the burger. The thick cut fries were okay. The chicken was pretty good, and it had the same fries I got, except it also came with some cooked diced carrot. We also had a shake which was a bit better than what you get at McD's. I didn’t find the food particularly greasy compared to other places, and the plates and cutlery were clean even of nothing else was.

The server was friendly enough, and the food got there while it was still warm, so no big complaints. I was shocked that they asked for an extra fee to use Interac, but I suspect they try to keep costs close to the bone.

A good spot if you just want to eat something and you are only interested in price. I think Tom & Jerry’s (on Hastings near the PNE) or Jane’s in Burnaby would be better choices. Still, it is VERY cheap! Can’t recommend, but it won’t kill you either.

After finding all the downtown places full, it was off to Burnaby to find Amorosa! I knew this place had good reviews, and I found it was worth the drive.

My wife and I started with the insalata caprese which had great presentation, with a nice vinaigrette to give the cheese and tomato a little flavour. Even the 'small' size was enough for two people. Then we had the garlic bread. I was surprised that bread was extra, but it was well worth the money. It was hot, tender and buttery, with garlic and herbs.

After that I had the creola sauce (sausage, chicken, shrimps in a spicy tomato sauce) on fettuccine pasta, and Mrs. Chasiubow had gamberi zia filomena (garlic cream sauce, bell peppers and prawns) on penne pasta. Both were amazing and our pastas were cooked to a perfect al dente. The sauces were truly outstanding and the portion sizes were epic. I also tried the house red (a Similkameen valley wine) and it was pretty good for 4 bucks!

The servers were very attentive, and the place had the requisite checker table cloths and Italian music, etc. Nice ambience.

I looked up 'Amorosa' in the dictionary: "A wanton woman; a courtesan”. Yep, that's about the best way to describe the experience: A satisfying romp with a passionate Tuscan. I felt a warm afterglow from my meal, and a sense of deep contentment...

I was looking forward to visiting HTS after reading the reviews here. After I entered the restaurant I got the impression that this used to be a Korean BBQ but now it is all about the soups. I had the stewed kimchee with pork and my wife had the tofu and pork soup. We also had the fried dumplings.

The meal starts with a bunch of appetizers including kimchee (naturally), seaweed, something that looked like pickled daikon, some pickled onion, and some sauce.

Next came the stone pot of rice. It was an interesting experience to watch the server scrape the rice out and then pour barley tea over the crispy remains. Then came the boiling main courses, the dumplings, and the egg for the tofu soup. The tofu soup was very tasty, and the ‘regular’ spiciness was just right. It had lots of tofu and pork. The stewed kimchee was also good, and came with chunks of pork in a hot and flavorful broth. I really enjoyed the dumplings which were like a cross between gyoza and potstickers, but not like either of these. I also tried the crispy rice out of the pot, but I didn’t really like it much. I agree with the previous reviewer that the tea was warm, but this is typical of Korean-run restaurants I have visited in the area. For all I know it might be the right way to serve barley tea. :)

I really appreciated the trilingual menu as it made ordering easier. The servers were quite friendly and explained the dishes as they arrived. The restaurant was clean and the service was quick. I don’t have much familiarity with tofu soup, but I really enjoyed this unique experience. Recommended.

I am not a huge pho eater, but once in a while you gotta have soup. Such was the case when Mrs. Chasiubow and I visited Pho 99. We started with the fried rolls appetizer, which was packed with flavour, and came with the ubiquitous little bowl of vinegar dip. The rolls were a tasty treat.

My wife had the big pho with steak and soft tendon (it was her turn to crave soup). It had big thin slices of tender beef steak and tendons, which were cooking in the steamy broth. Also in there was a lot of vermicelli, and on the side were fresh bean sprouts and chilies. The pho soup base, which is the heart of all pho, was just right. Not too salty, no MSG, and a nice stock flavour that was reminiscent of chicken.

I had the prawns and pork slices with rice and a little bowl of soup. My pork and prawns were grilled with a smoky BBQ flavour. I got a big savoury portion and the meal was almost too much to finish. My bowl of soup was a great accompaniment to the meat, salad and rice. I also enjoyed a rich tasting iced coffee with sweet condensed milk.

The servers were friendly, and the food came very quickly. The ambience is like any noodle house you can name, and we found the restaurant to be a clean, well-lighted place. Pho 99 is perfect for a hearty meal or a late-night snack. Recommended.

I finally tried this place after passing it on the way to Fiddlehead Joes. FJ's was packed as usual, so off to Marmalade. I had the black and blue burger (cracked pepper and blue cheese) with fries, and my wife had the French toast.

The service was pretty quick, the ambience is retro-chic, and the place was WAY less busy than FJ's next door. It is also a good place to watch the passing parade of downtown Spartans burning off the calories and/or walking their condo-dogs.

The burger was very juicy and not made from a patty, and the bun looked like it was baked recently. The blue cheese and pepper were a nice complement to the meat. The toppings were fresh. I also found the fries were hot and crispy. The French toast was well prepared, and had a nice dash of bananas and syrup to liven it up. Could have used a bit of bacon on the side though. The coffee was better than the usual, and I was asked 3 times if I wanted a refill. I have no idea why the place wasn’t busier. They even had World Cup soccer on the plasma TV.

This place was a great find on a rainy Vancouver night. Prepare for lineups and only a single tiny washroom, but on the upside, the sushi is pretty good!

I had sashimi, which were giant pieces of very fresh fish with good marbling of fat on the salmon (could be a bit smaller pieces, but the weight for your dollar is high), and then I moved on to the nigiri sushi. The fish was also fresh and the sushi well made. I also tried the salmon roll which was stuffed with salmon, and the beef teriyaki roll which was a savoury complement to all the delicious fish. The shrimp tempura was also good, but could be a little lighter on the batter. The sushi isn’t just slapped on a plate, but is carefully arranged, which adds to the experience. I found the miso soup was good as was the complementary tea. The beer was fairly cheap at $2.95 a bottle.

As for ambience, it is a little cramped, and the servers are quite harried since they have to serve customers and answer the phone for takeout orders. The Korean sushi chefs are very friendly and they are able to hold a conversation while making speedy sushi.

I wanted to have a lunch with my wife since we were taking a day off, and we decided to give Clews a try. We had a great meal.

I had the Clewburger with blue cheese and bacon and the “half-and-half” salad and fries side, and my wife had the croissant with scrambles egg, smoked salmon and scallions, and a side of home fries. My burger was juicy and had a nice combination of toppings and a hearty bun. The blue cheese and bacon made it outstanding. The fries were fresh-cut and crispy and the salad had tasty vinaigrette on it. The salmon and scramble combination was well-prepared and served on a fresh-baked croissant, and the accompanying home fries were just right.

The thing that really impressed me was the presentation. The service was great too, and the ambience on the patio was a nice change. The one downside was the group of outlaw smokers who were spewing their fumes. The server offered us another table, but we relied on the breeze to keep the air fresh.

I stopped going to Wally's because it has really gone downhill. When I first went almost 2 decades ago as a newcomer, the deluxe chuckwagon was a monster burger, the onion rings were made right there, and the shakes would defy gravity (i.e. the upside down test).

The place has been going steadily downhill ever since. The home-made patties are long gone, the buns are small and look like they came from a 12-pack at Safeway. The fries/rings are also of the nasty frozen variety. Even the gravy is worse.

I think the old owner is gone or something, because I haven't seen him there in about 10 years, and the staff is always changing. If you look carefully, you will see Glen Clark's picture on the wall and some old newspapaper reviews from the glory days. Time has passed this place by. Not recommended.

This place is one of the better spaghetti factories. I've been there a bazillion times, and I always get either the Veal a la Parmigiana or the Seafood Linguine Marinara. My wife stands by the Seafood Fettuccine Alfredo. They give you a ton of bread with two kinds of butter to start, an edible salad, and spumoni to finish off the meal. And it isn't expensive. I also recommend the pinã coladas. They do a nice one here.

I have been to the one in New West (a bit of a dump) and in Gastown (crowded and shabby, but a good patio), and I can say this is the best location. Okay, the one in Toronto is nice too.

If you like REAL Italian food, you will hate the OSF with a desperate passion, but if you just want a predictable meal, and want to save some cash, check it out. Plus the Richmond one is next to the Silver City, so you can eat and see a show...

I originally planned to go to Kedah for Malaysian, but finding it closed I wandered into Bhaia. I am happy I did.

They have lots of traditional Indian sweets, and very cheap samosas (meat 2/$1.00, veggie 3/$1.00), but I came for curry. I had the lamb vindaloo, and my wife had the butter chicken. The naan bread was fresh and a lot better than average, and the basmati rice was nice and fluffy. Okay, I also had a couple of beef samosas too, since they were almost free!

The samosas were not greasy, and were nicely spicy. There was lots of meat in there. The chutney provided a sweet counterpoint. The lamb vindaloo was just right, with tasty potato chunks and a savoury/spicy sauce. On the downside, the lamb was too bony, which wasn’t pleasant. The butter chicken was not exceptionally spicy, and had a sweet flavour I hadn’t experienced with this dish. I think the cook took it easy on the heat because we weren’t Indian. Next time I will ask to turn it up a bit.

The server was exceptionally attentive (he checked on us about 6 times), and the food arrived quickly. As for ambience, the place is clean and tidy, but not sumptuously decorated. The décor looks like a lot of Chinese noodle houses I have visited.

I definitely will return. This place has good value for the money. It isn't 5-star, but it isn't bad, either. Next time I will sample the vegetarian menu.

I took some friends to try this place out since I enjoyed the North Road location, where I had the smoky beef noodles and and my wife had French toast a couple of months back. Both dishes were terrific.

This time (and location) we had the cod with gai lan which was nicely prepared. The fish was really tasty. We also had beef and pork satays. They were good too, and the iron plate kept them sizzling hot. We also tried the Hainan chicken which was too cold and not very flavourful. The honeymoon rice (yin yang chow fan) was also not very good, which was a shame since it is usually one of my favourite dishes. So half the dishes were good, half not so good.

The service was efficient, but not remarkable. As for ambience, it was pretty standard. The bathrooms could be a bit cleaner. I would return if Honolulu Café was closed, but otherwise probably not.

When I moved to NorthVan, I looked for the famous Tomahawk a few times because friends said it was a good place to eat. I passed the building more than once but I thought it was a band council office or something because they have no signage whatsoever. I finally found it and gave it a try. I have been an occasional eater there for the last year.

The previous reviewers are both right. The breakfasts are good, if you like diner food. They are big, filling and loaded with cholesterol. Just what you need on a rainy morning. The coffee is average, and the juices are not great. The burgers are really bad, and the fries are no good. The dinners are a mixed bag. I like the fish and I hear good things about the meatloaf. I admit, I have never heard of a chicken cordon bleu burger here. They have specials on different days, so for example 2x steak night is a big event. Personally I prefer the breakfast.

Really it is hit and miss. My advice would be to stick to breakfast if that is what you came for. As for the interior, the kitschy Indian art is what it is, and is just knick knacks not a museum. The ambience is dull and dark, and there is a subtle mouldy smell. The servers seem friendly.

If you want to eat plain diner food, okay. If you want fancy, it isn't here.

I took a gang over to Simba's to exploit my Entertainment Book coupon. I almost left when I saw they had lots of ominous warnings in the menu about 15% charged when using coupons, no sharing entree unless you pay extra, and that sort of thing. But after seeing the food on the other tables, I decided to stay and try this place out.

I had a chicken curry that was like a cross between butter chicken and chicken vindaloo, and it was awesome. My wife had the kebabs and they were a huge portion of a kind of lamb sausage meat except no sausage casing. My friends had the mahi (a tender white fish) which was on special, and also the prawn green curry which was outstanding. There were lots of huge prawns and the sauce was very good. Unfortunately, the mishkaki is only available in beef not lamb now. I was really looking forward to it, so I was disappointed at the change in menu. I can say the rice and naan were good, but I don’t understand the frozen mixed veggies in the rice.

The African Tusker light beer was a little pricey at 7 bucks a bottle (sort of like the way Chinese places overcharge for Tsing Tao), but it was a good brew. The local brands are competitively priced. The lassi was a little weird, but I liked the cardamom seeds.

The restaurant is very small, and the server was a chun-loi, but the manager was very nice and friendly, and so we didn’t mind. If you want African food I don’t know if this is it, but this place serves something that is like Indian food, but slightly different. I think the owners are Indian but lived in Kenya for years, or something like that. Either way, the food is very good and not what you can find elsewhere. It could be cheaper, but I guess they are a niche market. I will go back for more!